Summary and Additional Thoughts
What fantastic replies! I'm genuinely excited by the insight, creativity, and intuition all of you are bringing to this study.
INTRO: ABOUT MEANINGS
As most of you know, I'm a firm believer that the most important meaning a card has is the meaning it has for *you.* The meaning you make may or may not incorporate what the designer intended. The meaning you make may or may not agree with meanings traditionally assigned to Tarot cards.
All of this to say: when, in my posts, I describe what I had in mind for a given card, please *do not* think of this as an attempt to limit that card's meaning to the ones that occurred to me when creating the deck! I'm delighted by every meaning that every users finds in the deck, and I wouldn't dream of limiting your efforts to make your own.
THE CHARACTER OF THE FOOL
Our "freedom fool" is, as some of you noticed, dressed more formally than some of his more bedraggled brethren ... I like to say he's "better suited" for the adventure to come. In seconds, he can dress down ... or, with a little buttoning and straightening, he can fit in anywhere. The idea I had at the time was this: we are most "free" when we have the flexibility to make ourselves at home in any situation.
I designed a right-facing fool because I wanted to emphasize looking ahead (in spreads, "future" cards are almost always on the right) ... but also as a nod to the role of intellect in brainstorming and card reading (which I see as an enhancement, instead of a replacement, for intuition).
Leaping, running, or jumping? With an eye toward fools in the past, I wanted to reflect the traditional Fool's "creative leap" or "leap of faith" -- but I agree with participants who felt he also looks like an Olympic runner. A prompt to "hit the ground running," perhaps?
SIGNS AND SYMBOLS
- The Gyre - The swirling vortex behind the Fool can generate all kinds of associations, from galaxies to whirlpools. For me, it suggests cycles (including reincarnation) and circularity (the Fool's number, zero, is also a circle). What past events are like the present? How might an understanding of the past change the way we approach the future? It's also a maze: easy to get lost in, if you're not focused and aware.
- The Rainbow - Bravo to nikkeihime, who noted that the rainbow is made of up of the same five colors associated with the trumps and suits of the deck. I associate the Freedom trump with pure, unadulterated potential -- all energy, all levels of vibration, all possibilities, all moments -- before that potential is broken down and reflected by the other cards in the deck. "Over the Rainbow" is also a nod to the anthem in the Wizard of Oz -- a desire to exist in a world without physical limits.
- The Jester Sceptre - A nod to the Fool's heritage, of course -- but also a reminder of the problem-solving strategy suggested by this card. What might happen if you let felicity and foolishness reign?
- The Hourglass - As scripted, both the top and the bottom of the hourglass are supposed to be full. And they are -- but, as the final artwork was reduced to fit on the cards, that fact becomes indistinct. (It's easy to see the top as empty, and the line of sand as nothing more than the continuation of the line of the Fool's jacket collar.) I really like hearing whether people perceive the hourglass to be empty or full, and suspect their perceptions have a lot to say about their state of mind. (You'll see this same hourglass on Trump 13, later.)
- Blank Book. All of your associations, from blank diaries to Tarot journals, are spot on!
I like to think the earlier pages contain the stories and wisdom from the Fool's previous lifetimes -- the same stuff other Fools carry reminders of in their little packs.
- The Ox. As an inside joke for Tarot folks, the Ox is an association with the Hebrew letter Aleph, which means "Ox." Every trump has a Hebrew letter association concealed within it. Symbolically, of course, there are all kinds of things associated with the Ox that are appropriate for the Fool -- including the idea of the animal as a means of "plowing forward" and realizing the potential of a field ... and also the idea of freedom requiring a "sacrifice" of certain "sacred cows."
- The Egg. As many of you noted, the egg suggests potential. There's also the lovely business of "Which came first, the chicken or the egg?" which brings to mind the circularity of the Fool.
Finally: note that the Fool has his head and heart in the realm of infinite potential (the gyre), his stomach and groin in the realm of desire (Red/Wands), his legs and one foot in the realm of intellect (Yellow/Swords), his right foot planted in practicality (Green/Coins). To succeed, he may have to sacrifice some intellectualism (the Ox, in Yellow/Swords) and tap into the realm of spiritual and creative potential (the Egg, in Blue/Cups).
With that, we've fooled around enough!
If you have other responses and insights, please post 'em. I read and cherish every one!
